January 13, 20215 yr Thankfully no one was seriously hurt in the incident, which occurred while the Apache was chasing down a bicycle thief, It's pretty unusual to get the police to take any notice of bicycle thieves.
January 14, 20215 yr It's pretty unusual to get the police to take any notice of bicycle thieves. While returning home on my bike late last night after a 16.5 mile ride in the pouring rain (to test waterproofing, hidden potholes everywhere - I think potholes are more numerous and deepr than I remember in the 80s, because of the constant digging up of roads which communications companies have to do)... I was travelling through a deserted town centre at around 1.43am and all of a sudden, two big shifty looking guys ran out in front of me as an alarm went off loudly in a shop. It suddenly crossed my mind that if I was robbed of my bike, it'd probably be classed as just a mugging, and there would be no chance of a Apache helicopter being deployed for a search and destroy mugger mission... Odd that such powerful military hardware is sold to community policing, particularly unmodified - and apparently fully armed - advanced war hardware. They have to find new markets I suppose.
January 14, 20215 yr Looks like a few have been taken for a ride with fake Suffolk Apache chopper, these thing's aren't available for UK civilian force use. Most forces use the widely used Eurocopter's which the Suffolk plod use, the registration # for G- SUFF is a Eurocopter EC135. Also once a Uk G- xxxx registration is issued it isn't re - issued to another aircraft.
January 14, 20215 yr I have seen fake pics of a Great Western Air Ambulance Charity G-WAAC chopper. The reason I know is that I am the owner of the de- registered craft which is now currently stored WFU and still in my possession. Originally built and owned by British Airways. Here is my craft owned since early 90's pic taken in 1995 in Chambley, France. Chambley was bi -annual event and I flew there over a period of 10 years, up to 600 craft were present and mass ascensions occurred most days over a 7- 10 day period twice a day. Edited January 14, 20215 yr by Nealh
January 14, 20215 yr I have seen fake pics of a Great Western Air Ambulance Charity G-WAAC chopper. The reason I know is that I am the owner of the de- registered craft which is now currently stored WFU and still in my possession. Originally built and owned by British Airways. Here is my craft owned since early 90's pic taken in 1995 in Chambley, France. [ATTACH=full]40189[/ATTACH] Have you ever had to do a autorotation landing? Helicopters seem crazy complicated to operate. Is that you looking at the camera? Travel by air balloon at height (only ever tried it at a funfair) looks really peaceful: no wind noise, silent apart from the occasional burst of ignited hot gasses... I once lived at the top of a twenty storey building on the edge of a cliff - you could see for many miles - about twenty on a clear day, and it was a bit like that - nailed to a point in the sky. The difference was I could easily go get a fresh cup of coffee.
January 14, 20215 yr No not this time. The guy in Blue Mike was a qualified instructor he was checking out an acquaintance/syndicate member I sold a part share to before I again owned the craft outright for second time. I have part owned three other craft in my flying days. This was the first one I checked out on and went solo in the late 80's owning a third share. G-RINO. The second was Ex VH-HIH re- registered as G - BTRX a 50/50 ownership. In between owning G- WAAC twice I also owned a third share in G - WOOL. Edited January 14, 20215 yr by Nealh
January 14, 20215 yr No not this time. The guy in Blue Mike was a qualified instructor he was checking out an acquaintance/syndicate member I sold a part share to before I again owned the craft outright for second time. I have part owned three other craft in my flying days. This was the first one I checked out on and went solo in the 80's owning a third share. G-RINO. [ATTACH type=full" alt="40192]40192[/ATTACH] The second was Ex VH-HIH re- registered as G - BTRX a 50/50 ownership. [ATTACH type=full" alt="40194]40194[/ATTACH] In between owning G- WAAC twice I also owned a third share in G - WOOL. [ATTACH type=full" alt="40195]40195[/ATTACH] That looks like a great holiday passtime! What's the most memorable journey you've ever made in one? I hesistate to ask about the longest or highest.
January 14, 20215 yr They are all memorable in their own way & too many to list. My pre check out flight prior to going solo was one, a very windy day with low cloud we flew along at a great rate of knots over the Berkshire countryside. I made three different approaches to land at about 14 knots nailing all three, he said he hadn't had such a fast fun flight for ages and signed me off for my solo flight to be carried out approx two weeks later. Another time I took off just South of Horsham and averaged about 22 - 24 knots before a bumpy drag landing on Newtimber Hill at Poynings, the flight was only about 27 mins, next stop was the channel. I did once land on the beach to the east of Shoreham, having taken off from the Aerodrome a land breeze took me and my passenger out in to the channel for about 1km. I had to opt for skimming low above the sea to catch the evening sea breeze to head inland on to the beach. Max I ever flew was about 1hr 45m, max altitude was at Chambley to about 6700 feet. Usually more then 6 or 7 knots ground speed then flying balloons has more risks, a 77k cu ft envelope makes for a good wind catcher. Edited January 14, 20215 yr by Nealh
January 14, 20215 yr I had to opt for skimming low above the sea to catch the evening sea breeze to head inland on to the beach. That was some quick thinking! Else it'd be criossants for you! Have you stopped hot air ballooning or do you still take to the skies? The highest I've been lately was while bungee jumping... like Dolly Parton: fun but short.
January 14, 20215 yr Max I ever flew was about 1hr 45m, max altitude was at Chambley to about 6700 feet. That's seriously high! Did you get any time to take any photos? Must have been quite the view.
January 14, 20215 yr Max I ever flew was about 1hr 45m I suppose any longer and you'd be looking at carrying a portaloo... which brings me to the next obvious question: How often did you pee over the side and did you select specific targets when you did? The parents of a friend of mine own a share in the south of France, they love it. I haven't got around to visiting yet.
January 15, 20215 yr No not this time. The guy in Blue Mike was a qualified instructor he was checking out an acquaintance/syndicate member I sold a part share to before I again owned the craft outright for second time. I have part owned three other craft in my flying days. This was the first one I checked out on and went solo in the late 80's owning a third share. G-RINO. [ATTACH type=full" alt="40192]40192[/ATTACH] The second was Ex VH-HIH re- registered as G - BTRX a 50/50 ownership. [ATTACH type=full" alt="40194]40194[/ATTACH] In between owning G- WAAC twice I also owned a third share in G - WOOL. [ATTACH type=full" alt="40195]40195[/ATTACH] I was going to try hang gliding but decided against it after a deeply traumatised fireman friend of a friend told me grisly details about the many hang gliding accidents he'd attended. Your hobby seems far more sensible...
January 15, 20215 yr No longer flying but still a PPL holder. Para sailing and Micro lights did enter my mind to get in to, but never followed them up. My bees and ebikes mainly occupy me as past times and still some diy as being a retired Joiner still like to keep my hand in at doing any type of diy. Must admit the lock down etc,etc has spurred me on to do a lot more over the last year to our little castle.
January 16, 20215 yr No longer flying but still a PPL holder. Para sailing and Micro lights did enter my mind to get in to, but never followed them up. My bees and ebikes mainly occupy me as past times and still some diy as being a retired Joiner still like to keep my hand in at doing any type of diy. Must admit the lock down etc,etc has spurred me on to do a lot more over the last year to our little castle. I'm imagining a bee and improvised electronic gadget filled little castle, surrounded by hot air balloons - it's great that you're helping the bees, they certainly need it, and we need them. Colony Collapse Disorder is still rife, and it's cause remains a mystery... Bayer's pesticides? They're incrediby smart for such tiny creatures: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/intelligence-test-shows-bees-can-learn-to-solve-tasks-from-other-bees As an occasional fruit and veg grower, I plant a load of bee friendly flowers every year. What does the honey from your hive(s) taste like? Can you set up a little side business selling it Amazon or ebay? Urban honeys can taste very interesting due to the greater variety of pollens. Do you count them out and count them back in, like racing pigeons? I think I might grow 6ft tall Tree Spinach this year, because it requires zero maintance and I'm feeling exceedingly lazy, plus wildflowers for the bees...
January 16, 20215 yr Colony disorder collapse is a Yank issue, it doesn't exist elsewhere certainly not in the EU. Cases of complete colonies absconding due to heavy untreated virus loads or varroa occur as also does absconding due to a poor queen, often the occupants simply up root and beg their way in too another colony. In the UK Honey bees are a plenty every where, where managed. Wild colonies less so due to varroa and virus impact, managed colonies numbers ebb and flow depending on if the beekeeper wishes expand or decrease during the year. All pollinators in general are the real issue with habitat loss following WW2, climate change and pesticide use which is now less but the damage has been done. Another serious threat is looming on the other side of the channel is with the Asian hornet/Vespa veluntina, so far it hasn't been able to get a foothold over here with incursions being successfully located and eradicated. All of the older generations who were about in the 60' /70's will notice the impact on pollinators, today the affect can easily be seen by how clean the front of vehicles are. The days of seeing windscreens, headlights and grills splattered with many 100's of dead insects is a thing of the past.
January 17, 20215 yr Colony disorder collapse is a Yank issue, it doesn't exist elsewhere certainly not in the EU. Cases of complete colonies absconding due to heavy untreated virus loads or varroa occur as also does absconding due to a poor queen, often the occupants simply up root and beg their way in too another colony. In the UK Honey bees are a plenty every where, where managed. Wild colonies less so due to varroa and virus impact, managed colonies numbers ebb and flow depending on if the beekeeper wishes expand or decrease during the year. All pollinators in general are the real issue with habitat loss following WW2, climate change and pesticide use which is now less but the damage has been done. Another serious threat is looming on the other side of the channel is with the Asian hornet/Vespa veluntina, so far it hasn't been able to get a foothold over here with incursions being successfully located and eradicated. All of the older generations who were about in the 60' /70's will notice the impact on pollinators, today the affect can easily be seen by how clean the front of vehicles are. The days of seeing windscreens, headlights and grills splattered with many 100's of dead insects is a thing of the past. I discovered an old abandoned beehive box at the end of the garden, when I first moved in... some epic story has obviously played out there on a tiny scale. Beekeeping does look very complicated and involved, and it's been tried before here. Are "Poor" queens lacking in requisite bossiness? I see that many Councils are leaving grass verges to grow wild, which I'm sure will help bees and other wildlife, but probably not hedgehogs - only bridges will help hedgehogs: https://interestingengineering.com/29-of-the-most-heartwarming-wildlife-crossings-around-the-world
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